TimeGate and University of Houston to build Animation Studio

The University of Houston System (UHS) and TimeGate Studios (TimeGate) have agreed to establish a cutting-edge motion capture studio in Fort Bend County. The agreement between TimeGate, an award-winning, Fort Bend-based video game developer and publisher, and UHS includes equipment, facility hosting, training and mentoring for student interns.

"Students enrolled in UHS will have the opportunity to learn the latest technologies while being mentored by industry leaders," says Dick Phillips, associate vice-chancellor for the University of Houston System at Sugar Land. "The end result will be a better trained workforce for the industry and more recognition and opportunity for our graduates. We are very fortunate to have programs already in place at the UHSSL campus, provided by System partner University of Houston-Victoria, that can be adapted to meet the needs of companies like TimeGate," says Phillips. "UHS will continue to work with our off-campus partner HCC Southwest for transfer students from their established program and our on-campus partner Wharton County Junior College as they develop their gaming program." 

TimeGate’s Chairman of the Board, Alan Chaveleh, says: "This agreement represents the beginning of a long-term relationship with UHS to develop a world-class Computer Science and Digital Gaming Simulation program right in our backyard. The relationship will provide mutual benefit to both TimeGate and UHS through, among other things, furthering TimeGate’s in-house development capabilities and curriculum enhancement for UHS."

The partnership between the UHS and TimeGate began with a series of conversations between TimeGate’s Chaveleh and the GFBEDC’s President Jeff Wiley. "Not many people are aware that Sugar Land is home to one of the best and largest video game developers in the world," says Wiley.  The agreement between UHS and TimeGate specifies that the University will purchase the motion capture equipment and TimeGate will provide space and the commercial talent to operate the studio at TimeGate’s Sugar Land headquarters. "This will foster an educational and entrepreneurial atmosphere that is mutually beneficial for all parties involved," says Wiley.

"Students will be better prepared to enter the workforce with real-world, practical experience, while TimeGate will benefit from having a greater talent pool from which to select employees," says Regina Morales, Director of Economic Development for the City of Sugar Land.  "In turn, the overall community retains a uniquely skilled workforce with the potential to attract other entertainment and technology related companies for relocation."   

For more information about Fort Bend County, including a complete list of its recognitions and rankings, visit www.fortbendcounty.com.